Ken Detlet has joined the Associated Press as vice president for digital advertising strategy and sales. The position is a first for the global news agency as it builds an internal advertising team to support a growing line of digital offerings that include AP’s mobile applications, sports microsites, online video channels and social network accounts.

Detlet joins the strategy and digital products team at AP, reporting to senior vice president Jim Kennedy.

“This is a strategic move for AP, as we grow our revenue from advertising and sponsorships,” Kennedy said. “Ken has all the right skills and experience to chart a unique course for us.”

Detlet is a veteran of the digital advertising industry who most recently led sales and marketing for Mashable, where he directed sales for Ziff Davis Inc. and led national sales for Gannett Digital. He spent more than 15 years with Dow Jones, working across the company’s brands in various sales and management capacities and helping to lead the integration of DJ’s digital properties into a single business operation as executive director of sales operations.